Any place you sit is going to be a great seat.” “A group of three, four or more - they can’t necessarily sit right next to each other because we have seats taped off,” said Hugos. Two people may sit together, but a pair of seats will be roped off between each pair of patrons for social-distancing purposes. We’re doing everything we can to make the experience of coming as safe and fun as possible.”Īdmission will be strictly general for the March resumption - meaning more of a first-come, first-served basis. That makes it possible to survive financially. “Right now, we’re at 50 percent, which makes our physical capacity about 190. The Jim Thorpe venue will continue to operate at half capacity for now, or until the state mandates otherwise. We understand that there are a lot of folks that feel weary about being indoors.”

We think that we’re doing whatever we can to adhere to the rules and hopefully people will come to shows. “We think that we have some knowledge about how to promote safety and distancing,” Hugos said. A band from Philadelphia performed in front of a half-capacity crowd. The last event the opera house held dates all the way back to June. We’re hoping that in the future, capacity requirements will be lifted and hopefully we can get back to ‘normal’ by summer perhaps - it’s all a guessing game.”

“It’s uncharted territory for everyone involved. “We picked March 12 as the first show,” said Dan Hugos, general manager. The historical venue eyes a return to prime time in the near future, as a handful of events have been scheduled for March. There haven’t been any sellout crowds or exciting shows, as the Mauch Chunk Opera House has been on mute for many months due to the pandemic. Jim Thorpe’s internationally known section of town has been quiet for too long.

The mauch chunk opera house events